Thursday, September 03, 2009

Yes is the answer to all those people who want to know if I use my life in my books. And it’s not just the big things. Two years ago this happened…

He came in the room and announced that the fridge-freezer (which had been on the blink for months) had finally died.

“It’s not a tragedy,” he said. “It was a funny old fridge and it singularly failed to charm. Not like the faithful dishwasher.”

…and it appears in my latest book.

So we bought a new fridge. And now it’s a month out of guarantee, the minute spring in the handle has broken and a replacement costs £23 plus V.A.T.

So now we have another fridge that is failing to charm. Actually, it’s Miele that is failing to charm. £23 for a spring as small as an earwig? As somebody said – (was it Tom Lehrer?) - “You don’t have to satirise these people, you just have to quote them.”